Crazy as a Balloon

On Saturday I took my first balloon ride! Granted, it’s a tethered balloon, but it goes very high and provides great views. The balloon is full of helium and ascends up to around 500 feet (150m). It was overcast that morning, but sunny clear days are not common around here this time of year, and […]

Chakrakow

I had forgotten until just now, but there’s supposed to be one of Earth’s main life energy sources here in Krakow: Adherents to the Hindu concept of chakra believe that a powerful energy field connects all living things. Some believe that, mirroring the seven chakra points on the body (from head to groin), there are […]

McDonald’s Going Green

In a follow-up to an earlier post photo regarding a McDonald’s sign being black (instead of red), it turns out that all European McDonald’s use different colors than those traditionally used in the US. There’s no red at all anywhere on outside signage or buildings that I’ve seen. And actually, it’s not black, but deep […]

Fire-breathing dragon

I had a mentally and physically draining day across the board. Time in a medical facility (I’ll be fine) and slamming my finger in the door (unrelated to the medical center visit) were some of the easier things. Anyway, that’s life! Here are some photos for your enjoyment. Today’s dad joke: When a lady from […]

Crack Cow

After finishing up with Wrocław, I took another FlixBus ride, this time to Krakow, also in Poland. I was here once before, with my brother in 2005. The past 17 years have been kind to the tourist scene, and while I really like Wrocław, it clearly isn’t on the tourist radar yet like Krakow is. […]

Polski Stuff

Under license from Fiat, Polish versions of this car brand were manufactured or assembled in Poland, called Polski Fiat. These cars were popular during Communist times due to their simplicity and relative affordability. Here’s a legacy one I found in town: Polish restrooms are often marked with symbols to indicate the intended sex. It’s not […]

Disco Polo

Here’s another Major Meander installment of a series on Google Maps translations of establishment reviews from foreign languages. Here, the source is a set of Google Maps reviews (translated from Polish) for a convenience store in Wrocław. Bonus Notes Donuts and pretzels are both very popular here in Wrocław. There’s a nearby pretzel shop that […]

Nature, Festivities, a Battle vs Russians, and Language Struggles

The river Oder passes through the middle of Wrocław, and along its banks are many nice parks. Additionally, there are several other parks around the city, including a couple of very large ones. While Wrocław itself is mostly pretty and not industrial or gritty, it’s still refreshing to get out into green spaces with loads […]

Neighborhood Art

There’s an old neighborhood in the northern part of Wrocław where residents have taken to creating various art projects at the base of multiple buildings. This enhances the aesthetic appeal of what are otherwise quite drab old buildings. The facades (without art) of some these buildings are shown in the Steven Spielberg film Bridge of […]